See the key revelations of the Jaden Rashada lawsuit vs. Napier, others
Georgia quarterback Jaden Rashada is suing Florida head coach Billy Napier and others associated with the Gators’ football program over a failed name, image and likeness (NIL) deal, according to a 37-page lawsuit filed this morning in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Rashada has secured attorney Rusty Hardin as counsel.
According to the complaint, Rashada was to receive $13.85 million over four years from Florida before the deal was ultimately terminated. UGASports has obtained a copy of the complaint. Here are the lawsuit’s most interesting parts:
• Besides Napier, the other defendants listed in the lawsuit are Hugh Hathcock, Marcus Castro-Walker, and Velocity Automotive Solutions, LLC. The 64-year-old Hathcock is a wealthy, long-time Florida booster who gave an eight-figure donation—the largest in the program’s history—to the Florida football program in 2022. He also ran the former Florida-drive NIL collective, the Gator Guard. Castro-Walker is the former Florida director of NIL and player engagement. Velocity Automotive is a former company in Destin, Florida, owned by Hathcock. Although not listed as a defendant, Edward Rojas was the CEO of another major Florida collective, the Gator Collective, and, according to the lawsuit, “was also deeply involved throughout the effort to flip Jaden [to Florida].”
• In late June of 2022, Rashada committed to the University of Miami, agreeing to a $9.5 million NIL deal with the Hurricanes. According to the filing, Florida soon applied a “pressure campaign” to flip Rashada to the Gators.
• Working alongside Hathcock, Castro-Walker communicated with Rashada’s two NIL agents during the fall of 2022 that Florida would pay the quarterback $13.85 million over four years, or more than $4 million more than what Miami had offered.
• The deal was to be funded through two sources: Hathcock would pay $5.35 million, including a $500,000 “signing bonus,” through Velocity Automotive. The remainder of the $13.85 million would be paid through Hathcock’s Gator Guard collective.
• Just as a deal appeared to be nearly finalized in early November of 2022, Hathcock “balked” and “declined to use his company or the Gator Guard to directly fund the promised NIL payments.” Still, Rashada and his agents were assured that the deal would be fully funded by Hathcock and Castro-Walker partnering with Rojas of the Gator Collective.
• On November 10, 2022, Rashada agreed to the $13.85 million deal and publicly flipped his commitment to Florida and therefore “[forgoing] a $9.5 million NIL deal and other potential NIL packages” with Miami. However, less than a month following the flip, “without any warning, the Gator Collective abruptly and unilaterally terminated it (the agreement).”
• On December 6, or the day after Rashada didn’t receive the promised $500,000 signing bonus from Hathcock, “the Gator Collective sent Jaden a letter purporting to terminate the $13.85 million NIL contract.” Still, Castro-Walker and Napier persuaded Rashada that “they would make good” on the deal despite the termination of the contract. On December 7, Castro-Walker informed Rashada’s agents that Hathcock’s Gator Guard collective would accept assignment of the $13.85 million deal.
• On December 9, Hathcock wired $150,000, or what would ultimately be the lone payment the Florida boosters sent to Rashada. According to the filing, “Hathcock provided this $150,000 payment so that Jaden could avoid possible litigation with Miami booster John Ruiz, who was seeking repayment from the $9.5 million NIL deal after Jaden flipped his commitment from Miami to UF.”
• By Early Signing Day on December 21, Rashada had still not received his signing bonus and, more so, Hathcock had not accepted assignment of the $13.85 million deal. Still, “Jaden tolerated this delay, believing that Hathcock...would keep his promises.”
• “In response to Jaden delaying the signing of his National Letter of Intent,” Napier called Rashada and relayed that he would be receiving $1 million from Hathcock as partial payment “once Jaden formally signed his National Letter of Intent with UF that day.” Rashada signed with Florida one hour after Napier’s phone call. He didn't receive any payment.
• On January 18, 2023, and after weeks of “new promises of NIL agreements that consistently remained unfulfilled,” Rashada withdrew his National Letter of Intent to play for Florida. Instead, he attended and played for Arizona State, where he “neither sought nor was promised any type of NIL commitment.”
• On April 19, 2024, Rashada entered the transfer portal and chose to attend the University of Georgia at the start of the 2024-25 academic year. “Similarly to his decision to attend Arizona State, Jaden’s decision to attend Georgia this year was not in response to any promises, assurances, or offers connected to NIL money. He had learned his lesson.”